A Flame in the Darkness
by Order and Chaos - Qui Iudicant
Summary: The Republic has fallen to the Covenant, an extra-galactic race of aliens that appeared in the middle of the Battle of Coruscant, destroyed both sides and conqured them with one swift stroke. But an unexpected ally will come to the rescue, but will they, or 'it', be too late?
1. Chapter 1

The night-skies above Coruscant were a dark stormy-gray, with only the barest hint of rain in the air. In the distance, the huge dome of the Senate Building loomed over the skyline of the Senate District; almost completely dark for the Senate was not in session, though here and there lights glimmered in the stalk of the 'mushroom' part of the building. To ordinary appearances, it looked unchanged since the Great War, but with a few major differences. It was wider, had several turbolaser cannons on the roof, and to those who knew what the Jedi Temple looked like, they would have seen a huge five-towered structure on the 'dome' of the Senate Building, replacing the Old Temple that was destroyed at the end of the Great War. Nearby, the vast Imperial Palace loomed against the skyline, matched in height and size by the new Senate Building, now known as the Light of Heaven, under its new rulers.

Upon a nearby tower, surveying this massive edifice of architecture dominating the horizon was an armored figure, half-hidden in shadow. Closer inspection revealed that the armor was not of Coruscanti manufacture, nor of Kaminoan origin; rather, to those who knew of them, it was Mandalorian armor, now almost rare due to the policies of the galaxy's new rulers. The figure then stood up, and with a _fizat_ lifted off into the air, and sped for the massive mushroom looming in the distance.

From far away, a cross-hairs followed the speeding form with rapid accuracy, but the owner of the sniper rife was not aiming to shoot, rather, they were tracking the progress of the flying Mandalorian.

The flying Mandalorian soon made it to the entrance of the Senate Building, and alighted upon a ledge. The T-shaped visor, darkened for stealth, glanced from side to side to make sure that the wearer had not been spotted, and then faced forward. A _snap-hiss _was heard, and the glowing green blade of a lightsaber could be seen briefly, before vanishing into the wall with a crackle. The Mandalorian drew a circle, leaving behind red-orange molten metal, into the wall. The circle was finished, and the Mandalorian put away the lightsaber, and with one hand, pushed the slice of wall inwards, cringing slightly at the _thump _it made.

But just before the Mandalorian could walk through the hole, some instinct caused him to duck down. Immediately, a purple-colored laser slammed into the wall, right where the Mandalorian's head would've been. He jumped through the hole, dodging another purple colored laser, and landed right on the floor of the maintenance walkways.

Outside, the cross-hairs locked on their target, a digitigrade humanoid alien cursing silently in its unidentifiable language reaching for a communicator. The trigger pulled, and a moment later, a red-colored laser slammed home into the Kig-Yar's head, blasting a hole clean through and into the wall on the other side. The cross-hairs moved around the dead target, searching for any others who might have been near enough to see it, but found none.

Inside the Senate Building, the armored Mandalorian creped through a vent in the wall, silently putting the grate on the floor beside him in the narrow tunnel, alert for any spy cameras in the area. He turned his head; silently scanned the surrounding area for any guards, then looked down, and nearly gave himself away then and there. Right beneath him, less than twelve feet down, stood two Jiralhanae on guard. Both of them were at ease, resting their Gravity Hammers on the floor beside them, chatting quietly in their native tongue, unaware of the Mandalorian above them.

_You will leave this area for your shift is up._

Both of them shook their heads as that thought entered in both of their minds. The one on the right began to scratch its head in confusion.

_You have forgotten that the shifts will change._

The one of the left turned to the one on the right and asked him something quizzically. It responded in the negative.

Then footsteps in the heavy thumps of two more Jiralhanae could be heard. The two looked at each other, shrugged, and began walking away. In a few moments, the area was silent. The Mandalorian inside his helmet grinned; they were such weak-minded fools, Jiralhanae. With a leap, he jumped down, and quietly ran across the hall, disabling any spy cams that might be around. To the operators, it just appeared that the cams had malfunctioned for a moment, and then cleared up. It certainly puzzled the Unggoy on duty, for those cams had been checked just yesterday. It looked at the screens for another moment, and then resolved to speak to Maintenance when its shift was over to check the cams again.

The Mandalorian knew his way around the Senate Building, for soon, he had made it up to the top of the dome, and into the new 'Temple' where the religious leaders of the aliens resided. Hearing footsteps, he ducked behind a corner as a group of the seven-foot tall aliens that called themselves "Sangheili" walked past him, weapons on their belts. They were not expecting an intrusion into their domain, not even by a Heretic.

Waiting until the Sangheili were past, the Mandalorian silently cursed in his native language, one of the few that had not been translated by the aliens, for not checking the routine patrols that the aliens regularly conducted. He had most certainly forgotten about that Kig-Yar; if it were not for his unusual power, he might not have been able to dodge the shot. But then again, the Kig-Yar were not up to the standards of Republic clone snipers so that was a lucky chance that he had been able to dodge it to begin with, for Kig-Yar had become notorious for hunting the 'Jeedii Heretics', often wearing lightsabers as trophies. Some had as many as ten lightsabers, though they usually had the scars to show that the Jedi that they had killed had not gone down without a fight.

Looking around to make sure that no more Sangheili were coming, he took off like a shot, running silently with a speed only Jedi were able to posses, when he slammed right into a Sangheili, half-hidden in the shadows standing by a door, the very same door that led up to where his target lay.

"_Haar'chak!" _

The Sangheili swung at him, punching him clear through the air where he landed with a thump. With a _snap-hiss_, the Mandalorian's green-colored lightsaber was ignited, and was held in reverse which was an uncommon grip for most Jedi.

"A Jeedii Heretic!" With a growl, the Sangheili took out a small device that resembled a lightsaber from a distance, but when activated, was as alien to the lightsaber as Mandalorian's were to the rest of the galaxy. The hissing of the Energy sword filled the air as the Sangheili advanced over to the puny Mandalorian. "Prepare for your death, Heretic!" it spoke in accented Galactic Basic.

"_Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur!" _With a lunge, the Mandalorian leaped at the Sangheili, brandishing his lightsaber. With a clash, the energy sword and the lightsaber connected, and broke off, only to reconnect again and again.

Using speed and agility, the Mandalorian soon tired the taller, more powerful alien, who tried to finish him off with one swift stroke, but overextended his reach, allowing the Mandalorian Jedi 'Heretic' to plunge the green-colored lightsaber through its armored chest. With a gurgle, the Sangheili slumped forward, and sank to the floor, aided by the Mandalorian who did not want any sound to echo through the 'Temple'.

Getting up, he turned to the elevator, and pressed a button, saying as he did so, _"__Or'dinii."_

The elevator doors opened, and the Mandalorian stepped inside, knowing that it'll be morning before the body would be found. The doors closed, and the elevator shot up like a turbolaser blast, only more silently. The Mandalorian put away his lightsaber hilt on his belt, where a much longer lightsaber hung. Taking out the longer lightsaber, the Mandalorian silently spoke in the still air as his goal came closer and closer, _"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, ori'vod." _It was something he chanted, ever since the Fall of the Republic.

The doors hissed open, and he silently crept out. Here was the most critical part of his mission, for behind the double-doors, lay his target; the San 'Shyuum leader. With a _snap-hiss_, and the double-bladed lightsaber was activated, one blade blue, the other green. Holding it in before him, like a spear, the Jedi advanced towards the double-doors, wondering silently that for all of their security, the aliens did not have any guards up here at all. Though it could mean that it was a trap. He tensed in apprehension, but relaxed at the sight of two Sangheili bodies lying on the ground, chests still smoking. The location of the shots were evidenced by two holes in the windows; the sniper outside had been keeping a close eye on his progress.

Reaching the double-doors, he plunged his lightsaber into them, and swiftly cut a wide hole through them, and, with a wave of his hand, sent the two halves of the doors inwards, and jumped through. The chamber was silent, not a sound to be heard. The Jedi paused to check his surrounding with the 'Force', an arcane ability that the aliens deemed heresy, though they were hypocrites, as evidenced by their use of the 'converted' Jedi younglings. Nothing else was in the chamber, except his target; the Prophet of Truth, the supreme leader of the Covenant.

He crept forward, towards the back of the throne-like chair that the Prophet sat, and slept in.

"_Ret'urcye mhi!"_

The double-bladed lightsaber plunged through the back of the throne, and was withdrawn. Nothing seemed to have happened. The Mandalorian's eyes narrowed behind his helmet, and he crept around to view the front.

All that was there was a cooling hole where the lightsaber had plunged through.

"Welcome, Jeedii Heretic."

The lights flickered on, shining on the Mandalorians gold-colored armor as he spun around, his lightsaber coming up in a defensive pose.

Behind him, appearing out of thin air was a Sangheili warrior, called an 'Arbiter'. Appearing with it were several Jiralhanae, each one wielding a Gravity Hammer, several Sangheili, each one with an energy sword, and several Kig-Yar, energy shields activated, and blasters pointed at the trapped Jedi. Glancing behind him, he saw several more Sangheili with many of the alien creatures called 'Unggoy', enter the room from the sliced double-doors, and moved around him. Within seconds, he was surrounded by the soldiers of the Covenant.

"It would be best if you surrendered quietly, Jeedii, for you will not be hurt, or harmed." The Arbiter said, while several Jiralhanae started to advance towards the Mandalorian.

"Over my dead body." The Mandalorian said, for the first time in Basic, holding his lightsaber before him, daring the Jiralhanae to come any closer. "You will pay for killing the Jedi, my friends, my mentors, and my brothers!"

The Arbiters face was expressionless, "Then you will join them in death, Jeedii, attack!" It ordered, pointing with its energy sword. Immediately, the soldiers moved forward, preparing to attack, but stopped as a humming sound filled the air. It turned to face the windows, where several small ships, not seen since the Great War, were fast approaching.

"_Ke nu'jurkadir sha Mando'ade!" _

With a war-cry, the Mandalorian leapt into the air and impaled a Jiralhanae through the chest just as several armored figures smashed through the windows, and a battle-royal began.

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**Authors Note: Hello there, this is my first cross-over, so tell me what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

The Coruscanti Underworld was, as always, dark, forbidding, and mysterious. Of all the locals of Coruscant, this was one of those that had never changed under the new alien rule. Topside, vast pyramid-like structures had been erected by the aliens, and everyone was required on certain days to attend these 'Temples of the Forerunners'. Most simply followed along, not wanting to rouse the anger of their alien overlords. But a few chose not too, and were labeled 'Heretics' by the aliens. The former Jedi Temple's ruins had been torn down, following Coruscant's occupation in the early years following the Great War, and a massive hexagonal building called the 'Mausoleum of the Arbiter', a building that was sacred to the Sangheili aliens for it housed the remains of past 'Arbiters', special warriors very much like the Jedi in role and purpose, had been put up in its place. This was considered an affront by many Coruscanti, but they dared not to openly voice their opinions of their overlord's choices. It would mean instant death, no trial or jury except by the High Prophets of the Council, and the verdict was sure to be condemnation.

For the one who was speeding down the almost abandoned skylanes of the Underworld, this was no problem, for he was already considered an outlaw, and were among those called 'Heretics'. Upon ordinary inspection, it seemed just another COMPOR (another one of the old things from the Republic that the Covenant kept for their use) patrol trooper, speeding on his speeder bike. On closer inspection, one would have seen that the armor was not clone armor, but of a species that was nearly extinct thanks to the 'Purge of the Infidels' of the past year. For the one on the speeder bike was a Mandalorian, one of the few who had openly resisted the Covenant occupation, and had their homeworld, Mandalore, slagged into glass by Covenant warships. But this did not dampen their spirits, for the Mandalorian people were nomads by nature and by culture, though the loss of Mandalore saddened them deeply, for many had friends and family on Mandalore at the time of the bombardment, this one speeding down the skyline included.

A certain group of Mandalorians, after the Bombardment of Mandalore, had made their home on Coruscant, for it was, according to tradition and history, the ancient Mandalorian homeworld. With the Fall of the Republic and the Purge of the Infidels, they had been forced to keep themselves anonymous in the lowest depths of the Underworld, but that did not prevent them from venturing up to the surface, as this Mandalorian was doing. For he was a part of a group of Mandalorians that had been tasked by the _Mand'alor_, the current ruler of the Mandalorians, to attack the 'Light of Heaven' as the Senate Building slash Temple was now called. Their objective; to kill, or at least render the High Prophet of Truth incapable of governing, so that their plans will be carried out to perfection.

With the death, or incapacitation of the High Prophet, they hoped that it would throw the Covenant into confusion long enough for the Mandalorians to force them out of Coruscant, and from the rest of the former Republic worlds. For the Covenant had made a critical error in judgment when they destroyed Mandalore. They had thought that in destroying Mandalore, they had destroyed the Mandalorian people. But the truth was that the Mandalorians were a nomadic culture, and had homes across the Galaxy. And upon this rested their plans, for if this one operation was carried out to succession, all of the Mandalorian people will rise up and with one swift blow, force the Covenant to their knees.

But if it failed, their plans would be set back for another several months, maybe even years.

But the people of Mandalore never were truly defeated, not even by the Jedi. They simply would abide until the time was ripe for their ascension back into power. This seemed to be one of those times where, if all went to plan, the glory of Mandalore will rise again.

The Mandalorian on the speeder swerved to the right, and sped down another skyline, heading for one of the many openings to Topside. Soon, he reached the large hole that was in the 'ceiling' of the Underworld. He angled upwards, and was soon on his way up towards Topside.

Appearing in the empty night skies of Coruscant, the Mandalorian warrior began to make his way towards the Senate District. Soon, he reached his goal; a tower building with an impressive view of the Light of Heaven. His speeder made its way down towards the roof of the tower, and landed. Getting off, the warrior unlimbered a sniper rife, a DC-15x sniper rifle, a weapon that had been made for the disbanded GAR, now known as the GAC (Grand Army of the Covenant).

Selecting his position, he set his sights, not on the Light of Heaven, but on another distant tower building. For long moments, he waited. Waiting for a signal. Just as he thought that something had gone wrong, a flash of light on the tower informed him that all was right.

Setting eye to scope, he carefully aimed for the dot of light, and soon alighted upon a flying figure, speeding through the darkness. Quickly tracking the flying form, his scope quickly turned, from the tower, to the Light of Heaven.

Watching the figure alight upon an outcropping, he zoomed in on the figure. He watched as a glowing green blade appeared in front of the dark form. Watched as that lightsaber disappeared in the wall, and drew a hole, and was withdrawn. Just as the cutting was finished, and the wall was pushed in, the figure suddenly ducked, and a purple laser bolt slammed into the wall. Quickly taking his chance, the figure leapt through the hole in the wall, just as another bolt flew by, missing him by inches.

Quickly, the sniper tracked the trail of the last bolt, and found the responsible person. He pressed the trigger, and the Kig-Yar was shot dead. He scanned the area around the dead Kig-Yar, but found no one nearby that he need to kill. After scanning one more time, he left his position, and got on his speeder. Gearing it back up, he sped for the Light of Heaven, angling for another tower, where he landed, and set his sights on the top of the five towered building, on the highest tower. Checking his ammo, he had five shots left. Zooming in on the tower windows, he saw only two Sangheili guards standing at attention by the doors. Aiming carefully, he fired.

Once, twice, and the two dead corpses of the Sangheili fell to the floor.

A light at the base of the tower alerted him that the first operative was on their way up. He tracked the light as it sped upwards, until it stopped.

"_Alor'ad, _she is close. Be ready" the Mandalorian spoke into his communicator, as he watched the other Mandalorian, double-bladed lightsaber activated, advance towards the door.

"_Kandosii! _We're on our way for the extraction."

"_Vor entye." _He signed out, just as the lightsaber-wielding Mandalorian cut into the Chamber of the Prophet. He watched closely, as the Mandalorian slowly advanced towards the throne-like chair in the center of the room.

He tensed as the lightsaber plunged through, and was withdrawn.

Something was wrong, for no body slumped forward.

"_Alor'ad,"_ he spoke again into the communicator as the other Mandalorian began to circle the throne, "send in the _larties_, for we need immediate – " he cut off as flashes of light erupted in the room. "No, we need extraction _now!_"

"_Shab_, the _larties _are on their way as I speak!"

"Over!"

With a heave, the sniper got up, jumped on his speeder bike, and sped straight for the central tower, just as the buzz of the LAAT/i's filled his ears. With a cry, he leapt off of his speeder bike, just as it crashed through the windows of the tower, followed by several Mandalorians moments later. He activated his jetpack as he jumped off, and sped for the now open room, drawing his blasters, and firing.

A battle-royal began, as Mandalorians began fighting Covenant soldiers.

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**Authors Note: Hello again! Second chapter is posted. Please let me know what you think! Review if you want, and favorite and/or follow if you have not already. Thank you. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

As the Covenant soldiers closed in on the trapped 'Jeedii', one of the Unggoy noticed movement out of the corner of its eye. It turned to face the windows, and received an out-of-control speeder bike right in the face. The speeder bike careened right into a group of Kig-Yar and Unggoy, scattering them as armored figures came crashing through the rest of the windows, while outside three small ships, known as LAAT/i, hovered outside, with open hatches, with more figures lifting off with jetpacks activated, and flying on in.

The now whirling blue and green blade spun around, decapitating Sangheili and Jiralhanae alike, while the Kig-Yar and Unggoy were engaged by the Mandalorians. The Jedi suddenly ducked an energy sword and lashed out with his foot at the Sangheili responsible, only to get his other leg kicked out from under him, knocking him to the floor. The Jiralhanae raised his Gravity Hammer, preparing to smash the Jedi's head into a pulp, when a yellow colored laser slammed into his head, sending him toppling over the side. The Sangheili also received two shots to the head, felling him instantly before he could react.

The Jedi flipped back on his feet, and now it was an unlucky Kig-Yar that received the whirling lightsaber to the head. While the Jedi was dealing death and destruction to the soldiers, the Mandalorian troopers were using their vast arsenal to decimate the Covenant forces, but were outnumbered and outgunned as more and more Covenant soldiers kept appearing in the room, replacing those who had fallen.

"_Riduur_, get out now!" shouted the Mandalorian whose speeder had smashed through the windows, and was now dueling a Sangheili with an energy sword that he had taken off his back.

The Mandalorian Jedi shouted back, _"Shabuir_, they need to pay! I am not leaving!"

"_Cui ogir'olar_, we're outnumbered!" The warrior had disarmed the Sangheili and was running him through as he spoke.

The Jedi would've responded sooner, but at that moment, he ducked, avoiding a Kig-Yar's sniper shot that blasted an unfortunate Mandalorian warrior off the tower. With a scream that was quickly swallowed up in the darkness, he fell to his death below, unable to activate his jetpack in time. The Jedi grabbed the Kig-Yar in a force-choke, holding him until he was nearly unconscious, and then threw him into a Jiralhanae that had just knocked three Mandalorians out the smashed windows with a flailing Gravity Hammer. Both of them flew out into the darkness, to join the fate of the Mandalorian warriors who had preceded them.

"_Gedet'ye_, not until we've killed the Prophet!" the Jedi pleaded with the masked and faceless warrior who had yelled at him before.

"_Mir'osik_, look around you, the Prophet is not here!" he shouted back through the comnlink as he blasted one of those flying aliens called 'Yanme'e' out of the air.

"I felt him, he is still here! _Ori'haat!_" the Jedi protested, who was currently dueling a Sangheili who was duel-wielding energy swords, and was proving a tough match even for his vaunted skills.

"_Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?_, I can do that easily enough if you push me too far! Look around you; you are killing our people just by standing and fighting. Not everyone is a Jedi! There is a time to fight, and there also a time to run! Now get moving!" without further ado, the Mandalorian spun around, fired a shot at an Unggoy who was about to strike another Mandalorian, who shouted back, "_Vor entye, vod!_", and started the run for the windows. Instantly, the others started to retreat, leaving the Jedi the only one not running.

The Jedi looked around him, watching the Covenant soldiers close in around him, and then made up his mind. Leaping up in the air with his jetpack activated, he angled his thrusters and began spinning, flames erupting from his gauntlets, scattering the Covenant soldiers, clearing his way for escape. He sped out from the tower, leaving behind burning Sangheili and Unggoy as he flew for the _larties _hovering just out of blaster range.

Just then, he felt his momentum checked as his legs were grabbed from behind. Looking down, he saw a massive alien called an 'Mgalekgolo' hanging on to him, pulling him down with its weight.

"_Vod!_" he shouted, as purple and green lasers began flying around him.

The Mandalorian sniper, who was obviously the leader, looked back at the yell, and swore, _"Shab!_ Come on, men!" He took a running start, and flew from the _larty _followed by several other Mandalorians. They were soon engaged by Yanme'e as they flew to the rescue of the Jedi, who was trying with the shorter lightsaber to shake off the Mgalekgolo. That proved easier said than done, for each time the lightsaber cut off a hand or an arm, another one would be formed by the 'worms' that made up the Mgalekgolo. Soon, yellow and red lasers joined the purple and green ones flying around.

Then a Mandalorian was shot through the head by a Kig-Yar sniper rifle, and fell into the darkness below, followed by another and another. The others quickly activated their personal energy shields stolen from the Covenant (that gave them some slight protection though not much), and flew out of range, or at the very least, flew around so rapidly that the Kig-Yar were unable to get a lock on them; nevertheless, one or two Mandalorians were felled by lucky shots. As if that weren't enough, the Yanme'e flyers were everywhere, firing their Focus rifles and Geonosian sonic blasters at the woefully outnumbered Mandalorians.

Finally, the Jedi was able to cut off enough of the arm to weaken the Mgalekgolo holding on. As the Yanme'e began to surround him, a burst of flames from the lead Mandalorian sent them falling to their deaths below, if the flames had not claimed them before they hit the ground. A quick shot to the head of the Mgalekgolo caused it to lose its hold on the Jedi, and like the Yanme'e and Mandalorians around them, went falling on down to its death in the darkness.

"_Riduur_, lets go!" he spoke hurriedly as he blasted another Yanme'e in the head.

"You don't need to tell me twice, Bonteri!" retorted the Jedi, who had deactivated his lightsaber.

Together, they sped back towards the waiting _larties_, covered by the other Mandalorians who had kept off the majority of the flying Yanme'e around them. Soon they were all aboard, and the three _larties _accelerated rapidly, outdistancing the pursuing Yanme'e. Soon, the _larties_ were swallowed up in the darkness, untouchable.

* * *

The Arbiter watched them vanish as the Covenant soldiers began to clean up the Chamber of the Prophet, and then turned around to face the Prophet of Truth, who had been watching the fight cloaked in the shadows of the room, protected by a state-of-the-art personal shield. "Holy One, I have failed in preventing the Heretics from escaping."

The Prophet in his hovering throne replied, "No, Arbiter. You have not failed, for now we have the chance to eradicate them off the face of this Galaxy."

"Forgive me but, your pardon?" queried the Arbiter, puzzled by his superior's confident tone.

"Set trackers on them, for the scanners still show their signals on the map. They will lead us to their base, and from there, we will learn the location of every secret Heretic base in the Galaxy, and the Second Purge will begin. If you had lost any honor, this would be your chance to regain it. If you succeed in this most important mission, you will be promoted to an even high rank than the one you posses."

The Arbiter bowed, "You are most generous, Holy One. It shall be done." With that, he turned, and ordered the remaining soldiers to follow him, and left the Chamber. Soon the Prophet was left alone, save for a few worker-caste Yanme'e replacing the windows, and covering over the blaster marks in the wall.

He turned his throne on over to the windows, where the lights of Coruscant gleamed in the night sky, seemingly unaware of the firefight that had played out.

His cold eyes took in the blank sky, and then the sounds of Shadows filled the air and a moment later, they flew on past, pursing the unsuspecting Heretics. "Soon," he spoke, "soon, we will have this galaxy under our control, and then we will take back what had been lost from us. The Angels of Lucifer will know our wrath, for stealing the Holy Rings, and for stealing our homes. We will return."

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**Authors Note: Sorry for taking so long, but here is the third chapter! Review's are welcome. And,as for the 'Angels of Lucifer' I made that up. :) And, another thing, this takes place long after Halo 3, but there is no Halo 4 in this, for the timeline had been disrupted by the 'Angels of Lucifer' at the end of Halo 3. I'm not going to reveal their identity, for that'll come way, _way_ later on in the story. And for those of you who want to know where the Mandalorian phrases are coming from (for they'll keep on popping up), go on Wookieepedia, type in _Mando'a _and you'll get a list of all the phrases that have been listed in the story so far, so, enjoy translating. :) **

**Gezze, I'm sorry for that other chapter, here is the RIGHT one! XD Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

The three LAAT/I transports flew across the Coruscanti cityscape, keeping low to the 'ground' to avoid detection by the never ceasing COMPOR patrols that the Covenant conducted regularly.

Inside the middle transport, the Mandalorian Jedi sat down exhausted from his recent ordeal, breathing heavily under his helmet. On closer inspection, the helmet looked rather odd for a Mandalorian, at least, compared to the majority of the Mandalorians surrounding him. Two long points poked out above his helmet, and two Twi'lek-like lekku showed from underneath the helmet, resting on his armored chest. The coloration, instead of a solid color like Twi'lek lekku, was a blue and white color in stripes.

The Togruta pulled off his helmet and rested it in his lap, looking at the gold markings upon the gray-blue helmet. For a while, he was silent, and then a voice, undisguised by the helmet comnlinks, spoke out, breaking the silence.

"Lux, I failed. I should've known that they would've set a trap." said the shaking voice of Ahsoka Tano as she looked down upon her helmet, a tear staining the surface, "I failed our people."

"_Cyar'ika_, you should not blame yourself for a simple oversight." came Lux Bonteri's calming voice as he knelt down beside her, "Even the best laid plans could go wrong. We simply weren't prepared for the fact that the Covenant would've intercepted our plans, for how would they have known otherwise?"

Ahsoka just nodded mutely as the LAAT/i trio dove for one of the entrances into the Underworld of Coruscant.

"You are not to blame, Ahsoka. We are all to blame, not just you."

"Lux, I blame myself because this is another one of my failures." She spoke again as the opening towards Topside quickly vanished in the night.

"Ahsoka, you know that it is not true. We are all to blame, for we are family, and family must take a share of the burden. You are not a Jedi any longer, but now a Mandalorian. You need to trust us." Lux tried again, trying to convince her to share the burden but she refused to be consoled.

She replied, voice shaking with suppressed emotion. "But I couldn't save my master!" She had fallen back into brooding, which she always did whenever she thought she had failed, thought to have failed both herself and her adopted people. But her constant brooding on the past affected her abilities and weakened her greatly: in short, it was slowly killing her and she knew it, but Lux was not going to let her sink into depression again. Grabbing her shoulders, he roughly turned her to face him as he spoke firmly to her.

"Would make his sacrifice in vain just so that you can give into self-pity? Is this how you honor him? Then stop being a _or'dinii_, for you are Mandalorian, and Mandalorians never show weakness, or self-pity. We'll get another chance, like we always have." His tone was firm, firm enough to snap her from her self-imposed silence and she started to redden in the face, ashamed of herself. He had a way of making her listen, even when she did not listen to the _Mand'alor_, a fact that threatened her existence within the Mandalorian Brotherhood. Only Lux's insistence had kept her within, mainly due to the argument that she had the skills that they needed, and that was why she stayed. Even after the Covenant takeover, the Mandalorians were wary of having Jedi within their ranks.

"I understand, Lux." She said rather reluctantly. "I understand."

"That's the spirit, _Cyar'ika_!" Lux replied jubilantly, "We'll soon be home."

The _larties _had reached the lowest level possible to fly and not attract attention, and were now flying along the skylanes towards their hangers. Soon, they reached the COMPOR hanger where they had stolen them from and landed after hacking into the computer system (the codes had not been changed, but soon will be after the failed attack on the High Prophet) to open the doors. Disembarking, the Mandalorians quickly separated in little groups, the better for some to escape if they were caught by security, but that was unlikely. Lux Bonteri, former senator-turned-Mandalorian stepped off first and helped Ahsoka down from the platform, followed by a few other Mandalorians; the others going off in the darkness to other routes to avoid detection.

Walking quickly, they soon made it out of the hanger and into the abandoned streets of the Underworld, going lower and lower as they walked on.

For a time, they walked on in silence, broken only their footsteps echoing in the hollow darkness.

"Lux," Ahsoka said suddenly "was it a good idea to come back?"

"Of course it was, _Cyar'ika_." He replied as they passed underneath a hovering billboard sign, brightly colored with alien symbols.

"But I was forced to leave because of a crime I did not commit. I should've had no obligation to _them!_" she spat out the last, disgust in her tone. "I was framed by my best friend, and was assumed by all that I had committed the crime!"

"Yet your master did not give up hope on you, is that not correct? He did not abandon you even when the Jedi did. That was, I believe, a good enough cause for you to return."

"Yes, but it was only because he stood up for me. Not even Master Plo defended me."

"He was only doing the duty of a Grand Master; he could not allow his emotions to cloud his judgment."

"Ha! Fancy you talking about emotions!"

"And fancy you, the bravest person I know, to give into self-pity because you could not save what could not be saved. Master Skywalker gave his life so that you could live." After a time, Lux broke the silence again by adding, "But then again, he would've been killed anyway. Coruscant had already fallen to the Covenant even without the Separatists already engaging the Republic Forces. All Jedi had become a target, easy pickings for bounty hunters."

"But, why did they have to kill younglings? They were only children! Defenseless children!"

"That I do not know, but would the Sith have spared younglings during their own purges against the Order?"

"No – no. But death is a better fate for Jedi than to give in to the Sith!"

"And what makes you think that the Covenant would've treated them any better? Better that they have died, than to fight their friends if they had been turned."

Seven years ago, the Covenant had appeared suddenly out of nowhere in the middle of the Battle of Coruscant, right after Palpatine had been kidnapped by General Grievous, destroyed the Centax 2 reinforcements, and threw both the Separatist and the Republic forces into confusion. The attack was swift and decisive; with Coruscant cut off from the rest of the Galaxy and with the Separatist fleet and commanders missing, the Galaxy was in the dark as each system began to fall to the Covenant forces moments afterwards. Palpatine and Grievous had vanished along with Count Dooku in the midst of the confusion, but in the heat of battle and the upheaval of sudden invasion, no one had noticed.

Masters Obi-Wan and Anakin had left the battle in confusion when they received the news that the Jedi Temple was under attack, but they were too late to save it from destruction. The two Jedi Masters had landed not too far away from the Temple, and they happen to run into Ahsoka Tano who was, at that moment, trying to rescue Jedi Younglings from the Covenant soldiers. A Sangheili had spotted them and alerted a number of Kig-Yar and Unggoy to trap them, but were instead attacked by Skywalker while Kenobi aided Ahsoka in helping the younglings to safety.

When the younglings were safely away with Obi-Wan, Ahsoka had returned to aid her former Master, only to find him headless, and bisected in half on the ground, his lightsaber lying next to a dead Unggoy. All around him lay numerous bodies of Covenant soldiers, the Sangheili that had seen them included. Not too far away was a group of Kig-Yar looting the dead bodies of their lightsabers as the Temple burned in the background. Giving over to sudden rage at them, Ahsoka picked up her fallen master's lightsaber, and went after them and slaughtered them one by one, showing no mercy. After cutting them up, she went looking for more, determined to avenge her fallen master. But in the end, there were simply to many of them to kill, for as each one fell to her whirling blades, seven more would take its place, an endless horde of Unggoy, Jiralhanae, Sangheili, Yanme'e, and Mgalekgolo all coming at her.

Quickly, a circle grew of bodies grew, with her at the center, fueled by battle-rage, slicing and dicing any soldier that came at her. But for all of her impressive skills, and the extra strength that her rage had given her, she soon faltered in her relentless attacks, giving a Sangheili warrior the opportunity to mortally wound her with its energy sword; cutting her across the chest and severing her right arm off completely. Then she blacked out, adrenaline leaving her as quickly as it had come.

When she came to, she found herself in a large dim room, lit by a single lamp on the ceiling. Her body had been bandaged up; giving her upper torso the look of a mummy and her right arm had been replaced by a cybernetic-humanoid arm that was in the process of being covered by synthetic-flesh by a medical-droid. Nearby was Lux and an armored being that she later found out was the _Mand'alor_.

In response to her questions, Lux had replied that she had been found unconscious underneath a large pile of Covenant bodies outside the destroyed Temple by the Mandalorian people. Also, he informed her that the Jedi Order had been destroyed completely; none had survived except for Obi-Wan and the younglings that had been with him, and had also found sanctuary with the Mandalorian people. Ahsoka had agreed to join them, thanks in part by the presence of Lux, but mostly due that the younglings and Obi-Wan had made it. After swearing an oath called the _Resol'nare_, or the six tenements of Mandalorian culture, she became a Mandalorian then and there, and with the _Mand'alor _present. That was all it was needed to make Ahsoka a Mandalorian.

After thinking about the logic of that statement, Ahsoka nodded again, saying, "I understand. But we should be helping them, not just abandon them to the Covenant!"

"We are helping them; by fighting the Covenant and showing them that we will not stand down while they take over our worlds, we show those in oppression that there is still hope." Lux replied, "We are almost home, _Cyar'ika_."

Already, the familiar landmarks were showing themselves, and they could see the sentry droids flying around: they had entered the realm of the Mandalorians. Unlike most other communities, theirs was a stable society, for the strict culture of the Mandalorian people prevented internal breakdown. Not given to violence unless necessary, the Mandalorians kept a low profile down in the Coruscanti Underworld, not recognized by the many gangs of thugs and criminal scum that roamed down here, for the Mandalorian armor and people were alien to most Coruscanti thanks to seven years of forced isolation by the Covenant. But here and there, they were recognized, mostly by bounty hunters who had seen enough of them around and about the galaxy to become familiar with them. But they kept quiet, because, for all of their skill in weaponry, they would often be one, and the Mandalorians many. And most did not want to go up against a Mandalorian. So they kept their mouths shut.

Soon, the entered a small, seedy looking building that was once a drinking house for local scum and villainy of the surrounding area, but had become Home Base when the Mandalorians took over. With guards watching the streets at every corner, and sentry droids that had been 'borrowed' from the Coruscant Security Force, any sign of a COMPOR patrol, and they'd all scoot until the danger was past. Mandalorians did not usually hide, for they were warriors, but time and circumstance make strange bedfellows.

After giving the password, they were clear to continue on their way and soon they were descending down the back passageway of the drinking house. Lux opened the door for Ahsoka who walked through, followed by the rest of the Mandalorians with them, who separated themselves from the group and made their way back to their families, or to their buddies who were either already there waiting for them, or who had not accompanied them on the mission.

Ahsoka made her way towards the back of the large common room to a small door in the back. Opening it, she disappeared inside and a moment later, a number of shrill voices could be heard inside from behind the now closed door.

Lux smirked underneath his helmet as he made his way towards another portion of the room to where another familiar helmet awaited him. Ever since joining the Mandalorians, she had become fond of a number of children, including the younglings she had saved. It was ironic, that she, a Jedi, had grown attached to something that was forbidden by the Jedi Code; children, of all the things imaginable.

"Did the mission go well?" the familiar, smooth voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi came out from behind a gray-colored helmet, the owner of which was sitting on a stool with a full bowl of food next to him; waiting for Lux, who was famished from the action. The gray color of Mandalorian's helmet signifying that he had lost someone close to him; Anakin was one such person, Satine Kryze was another one he mourned. Though he refused to disclose the details, Lux was sure she had been killed as a result of the Clone Wars.

"No, it did not. Right up to the point where we were in the Prophet's Chamber, we were suddenly attacked by none other than the Covenant soldiers. They had either intercepted our plans, or a spy has betrayed us; I cannot say." Lux replied as he sat down on another stool close by, taking off his black-colored helmet.

"Well do not give up hope, young Bonteri. We will have another chance. With time, the Covenant will forget about us, though this will mean we'll have to move again, if they are on our trail. Speaking of which, did you see anyone following you?" Lux looked up from the bowl of food that he had taken with thanks from Obi-Wan, and considered that question.

"No, Master Jedi." He answered finally after a time. Despite the fact that the Jedi Order was extinct, Obi-Wan was still called Master Jedi by most of the Mandalorians, although he did not wished to be addressed as one, preferring the simple address of Obi-Wan or Kenobi. "I saw no one following us, either by air, or on foot."

"What about in the lower levels, did you see anyone tracking you?" Kenobi queried further.

"No, Master Jedi – " Lux began, but was interrupted by Obi-Wan who said, "Please, I am no longer a Jedi."

"Then no, Kenobi, I saw no one." Lux replied again.

"Keep your eyes out for anything out of the ordinary, young Bonteri. It could mean the difference between life and death."

"As if being a Mandalorian did not mean that already." They both shared an ironic laugh at that as the time on the wall turned.

"Well, it is best that you get some sleep; we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow, young Bonteri." Obi-Wan said, already beginning to move towards the barracks door where many others were disappearing into.

Lux nodded, and got up to go tell Ahsoka, who was doubtlessly playing with the young children in the other room, all her cares and worries of the galaxy temporarily forgotten.

Just as he neared the door, it opened and Ahsoka came out, leading a young togruta girl by the hand, followed by a number of others. Lux stood aside, and let them pass. He watched them go down some more stairs, until the last young form was swallowed up by the darkness. Then he too turned and went for the barracks, already thinking of some plans for the next time they dared to go after the High Prophet.

* * *

"Sir, that's the last of the sentries." The COMPOR trooper looked up from his binoculars, up towards the Sangheili Arbiter next to him. "Shall we move in?"

"Yes, but do it quietly." The Arbiter's closed expression made it hard for the clone to make anything out, but he knew better than to guess at what the commander was thinking.

"As you wish, commander." The clone scout looked back towards a number of waiting Unggoy and Kig-Yar, with a squadron of COMPOR troopers behind them, and waved them forward, "Forward men!"

Silently, the Covenant troopers moved slowly down the deserted tunnels of the Undercity, sneaking upon the unwary Mandalorains, already having silenced their guards. Soon, they were right next to the door of the drinking pub that served as a cover for the Mandalorian base. One of the COMPOR troopers quietly approached the door, and at a signal from a Kig-Yar, kicked the door open with his foot and charged in, followed a moment later by the rest of the task force.

* * *

**Authors Note: ****Well, since I was in a hurry to update, I might have missed a few things in this story, so if you do see anything, could you PM me so I could rectify them? Thank you very much! :)**

**And, as for the Master Chief, well I'll say this; he'll show up in a most spectacular manner, but I'm not going to say what it is. I'll leave you all to guess it. XD**


	5. Chapter 5

**ATF (After the Fall)**

**BTF (Before the Fall)**

* * *

Obi-Wan watched the young Mandalorian, Lux Bonteri, disappear into the barracks behind young Ahsoka and the rest of the children. His eyes misted over with recollection as his thoughts flitted back to The Fall; the fall of the Republic, and the destruction of the Jedi Temple.

He and Anakin had broken off from the spatial battle overhead when they received word that the Temple was under assault. There they had run into young Tano who had returned from her self-imposed exile from outRepublic and was helping younglings escape from the Covenant aliens. Anakin had stayed behind, drawing the aliens' attention while Obi and Ahsoka helped the younglings away to safety. He had tried to keep Ahsoka from going back, but she was as head-strong (and as stupid) as Anakin had ever been.

But when Ahsoka did not return, he began to panic and started to go after her when he was intercepted by a group of Mandalorians, led by Kal Skirata. They were on their way back from Valorum Center with Doctor Ovolot Qial Uthan and Arla Fett, the latter was an unexpected find, and towards a safe house when the Covenant made planet-fall and began to assault the planet-city. With their help, Obi-Wan located Tano underneath a large pile of Covenant soldiers and subsequently evacuated to the Skirata safe house, and afterwards, to Mandalore.

His thoughts were interrupted when he 'felt' something was not right in the Force; and got his answer a moment later when the door to the Mandalorians' base blew in with a thunderous explosion.

Activating his lightsaber, Obi-Wan started to run for the ruined door, and was immediately engaged by several COMPOR and Kig-Yar soldiers. The alarm sounded, sending hundreds of Mandalorians out of their beds and into the main foyer, where several duelists were already fighting.

Obi-Wan ducked an energy sword wielded by a COMPOR trooper, the blue energy reflecting off of his multi-colored armor, as he advanced again towards Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan brought up his lightsaber in an over-hand swing and the soldier moved to deflect it. However, the over-hand was a feint and Obi-Wan suddenly broke off his attack and dove for the unprotected chest, slicing through the alloyed armor with a hiss. He turned away from the falling halves of the soldier and brought up his saber to deflect a shot fired at his back by a Kig-Yar. Those creature were always looking for an excuse to claim a 'Jeedii' lightsaber, but Obi-Wan was not going to let him get away with that shot, as the next blaster bolt fired was redirected right back at it, blasting its head clean off.

He sensed one of the aliens, a Sangheili by the distinctive 'feel', behind him, but before he could turn around, a yellow-colored shot blasted the huge creature off its feet. He caught a glimpse of its massive shadow falling as he shouted _"__Kandosii!" _over his shoulder. As he swung his saber, decapitating a COMPOR trooper as he went, he heard an answering reply as several more Mandalorians came in to replenish those who fell – which were not much. Mandalorians were tough fighters, even more so when in tight situations, but the Covenant had the advantage of surprise and caught them napping at the critical moment when they were tired.

Two more yellow-colored bolts flew past him, and caught two of the diminutive creatures, called Unggoy, in the general area of the head; shooting one's methane tank off, causing it to fall down choking, while the other was not so lucky – the plasma grenade it was holding exploded when the bolt hit it instead of the head, but the results were the same.

His blue blade whirled around, deflecting laser bolts and cutting off alien body parts, as he backed up and out of the only escape route not filled with Covenant soldiers; the one which Ahsoka and Lux had gone down moments earlier. Ahsoka must've tried to come back to join the fight, eager for revenge against the Covenant, but Lux had been successful this time around, for no spinning green-and-blue blade was seen as Obi-Wan and the rest of the Mandalorians with him closed up the open door, and turned tail and ran for their lives the moment it _was _closed.

Using the tunnels that permeated the entire underground of this sector of the Underworld, and running into Covenant troopers along the way, the Mandalorians made it out of the kill zone, and retreated down the nearly black streets.

Activating their ever present jet-packs, the Mandalorian contingent took off in the air as the Covenant soldiers began to swarm the area below, filling the air with multicolored blaster bolts, and catching the occasional Mandalorian as they hovered in the air raining down death and destruction upon the COMPOR soldiers.

Obi-Wan deflected a shot fired at him by yet another Kig-Yar, sending it's digitigrade form off the ledge it had perched itself upon and down into the seething mass of the enemy below. More shots, this time fired by a group of Jiralhanae Minors, flew up to meet him as he swerved and dodged the ever present Yanme'e, who had suddenly came out of nowhere the moment the Mandalorians took flight. One of the Yanme'e, wielding an energy sword, which was very unusual but not unheard of, swung at his dangling legs and missed as Obi-Wan drew them up, and lashed out at the Yanme'e's chest before it could recover from its lunge. The feeble ribs of the Yanme'e folded under the pressure and the insect dropped down to the ground.

"Master Jedi! I've three ships coming on Platform 56-T7, 7th Level, so get the hell out of here now!"

"How many times, Kal, do I have to tell you not to call me by that name?"

Kal Skirata, also known as Mandalore the Deliverer and also _Mand'alor _for the Mandalorian Clans (a position he had protested against having, but had reluctantly assumed the role), flew up to where Obi-Wan was hovering, blasting a flying Yanme'e out of the sky before turning to him, and spoke hurriedly, "My apologies, Kenobi, but now is not the time to argue over titles. I need you to lead group nine through the tunnels on the G-Sector while I take groups, five and six down T-Sector. Bonteri and Tano have already taken the other groups and are almost there as I speak."

Obi-Wan nodded, and shouted over his shoulder, "Katan! Split the group, you go to the left and up, while I go right and down!"

"Affirmative, Master Jedi." Came an answering shout somewhere to his right as Skirata flew off, dodging a Yanme'e as he went.

Obi-Wan shook his head at the use of the title and instead shouted, "Come on men! To me!" and with that, turned and sped down a canyon bordered by shady pubs and broken-down tenement buildings (all closed, or shut down due to either high taxes, or because it was dangerous to stay open at this time of night). Still firing, the Mandalorians of his group followed him, while the group led by Bo-Katan Kryze flew up through a tunnel, pursed by jetpack-wearing COMPOR troopers and insectoid Yanme'e.

Bo-Katan had been one of those who had met Kal Skirata's group moment after they had landed on Mandalore and had inducted them straight into the Mandalorian society of Death Watch following the Fall of Coruscant to the Covenant aliens. She had yielded her post as_ Mand'alor _to Kal Skirata, following popular vote at large, and was happy to take the post of second in command, a position she had held since Death Watch, a splinter group of the Mandalorian people long since devoted to forcing the New Mandalorians off of Mandalore. She had been one of the few true Mandalorians of Death Watch not to join the upstart Darth Maul and his own group of Death Watch, eventually gaining enough in strength to force Maul off of Mandalore following Kenobi's rather abrupt departure.

Over the years since, following the bombardment of Mandalore (ATF 3), Kal Skirata and Bo-Katan had reached out to all of the widely-scattered Mandalorian peoples, forging them into a single united army that had grown steadily over the years, as Jedi fleeing the Covenant joined the ranks, along with the former members of the CIS: the capital having been conquered days after the Fall of the Coruscant, scattering the Separatist Senate and Council, and leaving the droid armies without a leader, destroying any hope for a united resistance against the Covenant openly.

With Darth Maul, Chancellor Palpatine, Count Dooku, and General Grievous unaccounted for, the Mandalorian people were the only ones resisting openly (and invisibly) against the Covenant. With no homeworld to speak of, as the Covenant found out to their chagrin, the Mandalorians had the freedom to move wherever they chose, provided that none of the names of the world they were located on were found out by the Covenant. And that was on Obi-Wan's mind as he and his men (and women), flew down the tunnels leading into G-Sector. Pulling out a detonator, he pressed it, and moments later, a series of muffled explosions could be heard behind them; mingled within were the inhuman screams of the Covenant aliens and the more human screams of the COMPOR troopers. More explosions could be heard, and he knew that Bo-Katan had done the same thing, further demolishing the Mandalorian base. Within seconds, all that was left were ruin, rubble, and bodies of the base, destroying any information of the locations of the Mandalorian worlds.

The sudden break-up of his group had surprised the aliens, meaning that the greater portion of the Mandalorians had escaped, while only a few had stayed long enough behind to confuse the majority of the task-force. The winding path that Bo-Katan had taken would soon bewilder the Yanme'e and the COMPOR troopers as her group would soon begin to split up into smaller and smaller groups, until most of the pursuing aliens would be lost in the winding highways, byways, and alleyways of the Coruscanti Underworld.

Angling upwards, Obi-Wan's group sped upwards towards level seven, also known as 7th level, after checking for pursuers that maybe following them. They saw no one as they ascended up through the levels; thanks to a strict curfew imposed by the Covenant, no one except outlaws, COMPOR patrols, and the Mandalorians would be out. Finally, they reached the 7th Level, and began to head for the docking centers where some merchant ships, grounded by the curfew, had already docked.

There, waiting for them were three HCT-2001 _Dragonboat_-class freighters; they could see flying figures alighting upon the platform and running inside the freighters.

"Hurry men, we're almost there!" Obi-Wan shouted as with a roar, Bo-Katan's group flew overhead them, with a few COMPOR and Yanme'e soldiers still chasing them, blaster bolts flying. Some of Obi-Wan's group angled toward where Bo-Katan's men were, and let loose a flurry of yellow and green colored bolts at the Covenant troopers, felling them instantly.

"_Kandosii!"_ several of Bo-Katan's men yelled back as they alighted down on the platform towards the remaining freighters; two had already left, with one powering up its engines. Obi-Wan and his men landed as in the distance the Covenant airships, called Shadows, appeared stuffed full to the gills with troopers who could not fly nor had no jetpack.

Obi-wan turned around, his lightsaber activating once again, and began to deflect blaster bolts as the Shadows came closer. One lucky shot arced back and hit a Shadow's starboard engine, causing it to lose control and spiral downward to the death of the Covenant soldiers aboard it. Two more Shadows went down, but because of Mandalorians firing rockets at them from their jetpacks, a feature that the Covenant had yet to duplicate even after all those years.

With a roar, the freighter, named _Mandalore's Vengeance _in _Mando'a_, began to lift off, its two plasma cannons firing at the Shadows, sending two more to the bottom. However, for each Shadow downed, seven more came to replace it.

"Kenobi!"

Obi-Wan was one of the last on the platform, holding back the circling Shadows as the others fled to safety. Then he too turned and ran, or rather, flew for his life, while the Shadows (having lost a third of their number) pursed him and the freighter.

The freighter, and Obi-wan trailing behind it, came out to the Coruscanti surface, already glowing as the sun started to come up, illuminating the silvered towards and the massive hulk of the Light of Heaven way off in the distance. The Shadows came out from behind them, Kig-Yar, Unggoy, and COMPOR troopers firing at the freighter as it angled upwards towards the sky. Fortunately, all of those shots were aimed upwards, and no unwary citizen was shot out of his/her nightclothes as they came out to enjoy the new morning.

Obi-Wan reached the freighter and landed upon it. Turning around, he began deflecting blasts from the pursuing Shadows, sending one back right at a Kig-Yar and as it fell, two more followed it.

He backed up to where a hatch opened, and a few Mandalorians came out to cover Obi-Wan's retreat. However, just as he reached the open hatchway, a scream from behind him alerted him, and he turned around. There, standing on the deck holding a kicking Mandalorian, was the tall, powerful Sangheili warrior known as the Arbiter. He held the deactivated hilt of an energy sword to the head of the kicking, doomed man. It flared, and a lifeless, headless body tumbled to the ground.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," the Arbiter growled, pronouncing the 'i's' long like most Covenant aliens did, "At last, a Jeedii to fight. An honorable warrior, unlike these scum here." He nudged the dead body with his foot, sending it tumbling off the edge. "Prepare to die, Heretic!" And with that, he leapt upon Kenobi before the latter could activate his 'saber, sending both of them flying off the edge of the freighter.

With a crash, they both landed down in the city below, the Sangheili alien's durable body protecting him from harm, while Obi-Wan's Mandalorian armor just barely absorbed the impact. Reactivating his energy sword, the Arbiter advanced upon the groaning Jedi Knight. With an effort of will, Obi-wan summoned the strength to force-push the alien away from him and grab his lightsaber. Reactivating it, he stood up, though stiffly, and faced the Arbiter, who recovered from the push.

"Now, you die!" growled the Arbiter, beginning his advance once more upon Kenobi, who stood his ground.

* * *

**Authors Note: I apologize for the long wait, but this time I have an excuse for it. I've just gotten back into writing my original fiction over on FictionPress so this story will be updated less frequently than before. However, if you want to follow on my other account (The story I'm working on is called 'Prelude to Armageddon', currently it is at one chapter), be my guest. (Link is in my profile) However, if not, then I won't be slighted. Reason why I'm telling you this is 'cause that is where I'll be, so until next time I update on this story.**

**Oh yeah, spoiler: Bonteri shot first! XD**


	6. Chapter 6

In the depths of Coruscant, Obi-Wan faced one of the most feared enemies of the Jedi Order since a Sith warrior first returned on Naboo during its invasion of nearly twenty years ago; an Arbiter of the Covenant Empire. With the Jedi nearly extinct and the Sith only a myth, there was nothing that the few remaining Jedi could do except endure the Covenant reign. But some Jedi, like Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, chose to stand and fight rather than to lie down and die, and because of that resistance, made them hated adversaries of the Covenant, and particularly the Sangheili Arbiters.

"I've waited a long time for this moment, Obi-Wan Kenobi," growled the Arbiter, while the said Jedi tried to maintain his footing. "You've been a thorn in the side of the Covenant long enough, and I will enjoy taking your blade!"

Coughing, Obi-Wan replied, "Come and get it then, _chakaar!_" While not as fond of using Mandalorian phrases in his ordinary speech like Ahsoka, Obi-Wan made a few exceptions every now and then. This was one of those exceptions, and was perfect in this situation as the Covenant had no idea what the Mandalorian Heretics were saying, normally, but they got the general idea.

Obi-Wan activated one of the Mandalorian energy shields on one arm and held his lightsaber in a defensive pose while the Arbiter slowly walked towards him. Kicking aside a piece of rubble (from the fairly sized crater they both made), the Arbiter stopped and surveyed his opponent.

What he saw before him, while wounded and winded from the fall, was a skilled warrior, made even more deadly with that all concealing armor the Heretics wore. Even without the energy sword that were superior to Heretic weapons, the Heretic had one of those 'lightsabers', strange weapons that the Covenant had no idea how to construct. Even though the principles were the same, there was that something extra that the Jeedii had that allowed them to make these marvelous weapons. Even though he would be branded as a Heretic for admitting such, the Arbiter saw the elegance of those very simple weapons, even though they were nothing like the energy swords he carried.

Before the Invasion of Coruscant, the Covenant had spent years upon years studying the Jeedii Order and their Galactic Republic, and the ensuing conflicts with the CIS. Until the bombardment of the Heretic homeworld, Mandalore, the Covenant had no knowledge of these Mandalorians aside from the clone armies and rumors of a civil war fought nearly thirty years prior to the Clone Wars (BTF 32). Even after they had conquered the Jeedii, and taken over their extensive archive, they only found the vaguest mention of these Mandalorians.

Now they had spent five years in fighting these enigmas, and found themselves woefully outmatched, for these Mandalorians had the seemingly supernatural ability to vanish into thin air, and the Covenant was not one to be superstitious. Quite the contrary. But while these Mandalorians were easy to kill in combat, it was quite another thing to hunt them down. And with the destruction of the Heretic base in the depths of their own capitol, months of work had been sent back. It was only by sheer luck that they had managed to intercept the assassination plot, and were able to set up a counter-attack. And they, the Arbiter particularly, had failed.

Now he was standing before one of the Mandalorian Heretics, and a Jeedii at that. He took in the pitiful figure at a glance, and made his move. With a sudden burst of speed, the Arbiter lunged at him, taking the normally prepared Jedi unawares, and the result was both of them went tumbling.

Somehow, the Arbiter was flung off of Obi-Wan, but came at him again, swinging his energy sword as he went. Obi-Wan brought up his saber and blocked it, but the Arbiter's strength was incredible. Obi-Wan, in his current, weakened state was nearly knocked down, but he held his ground, but only just barely.

Backing up, breaking the sword lock they were in, the Arbiter swung at him again, and again. The result of which sent Obi-Wan backing up, just barely fending off the relentless blows. Finally, with a massive swing, the Arbiter sent Obi-Wan's lightsaber flying out of his hand, and into the twilight of the surrounding buildings. The sun had not yet illuminated the area.

Now, armed only with his energy shield, Obi-Wan took out a blaster and fired at the advancing Arbiter, all the while backing up as fast as he could. But it was futile, for the Arbiter's built-in shielding deflected each and every one of the yellow-colored bolts. With another swing, the Arbiter swung his energy sword at Obi-Wan, causing him to duck awkwardly as the hissing blade sizzled over where his head once had been.

But before Obi-Wan could regain his equilibrium, the Arbiter lashed out with his knee, catching him in the chest and dropping him to the ground. Obi-Wan, however, was quicker than the Arbiter, for he immediately rolled to the side, avoiding the deadly sword that slammed into the ground right where he had lain moments before. Getting back up on his feet, he deflected the sword with his shield, though the impact sent him reeling again, but he still held his balance.

Each time the sword slashed at Obi-Wan, his shield took the blow, but each strike drained the shield's power, growing weaker and weaker by the moment. Finally, one last blow deactivated the shield completely, leaving Obi-Wan open for the Arbiters attacks. His jetpack was useless for escape, for the crash-landing had destroyed the jetpack's function. What was worse, was that the rocket had discharged when the Arbiter had launched Obi-Wan from the _Mandalore's Vengeance_. The rocket had flown on up into the atmosphere, never to been seen again.

The Arbiter's eyes narrowed behind his helmet, for now he had the chance to kill the Jeedii with one swift stroke. But instead of cutting him down immediately with the sword, he instead slashed Obi-Wan's blaster out of his hand, and then tripped him. With his opponent on the ground, the Arbiter placed a massive foot on the fallen warrior's chest, keeping him down.

"Now you die, Obi-Wan Kenobi!" the Arbiter said, a hidden smile on his face. He raised the blade high up in the air, and brought it down.

But before the blade could cleave Obi-Wan's head off, the Arbiter suddenly shot forward, his sword still extended. All that Obi-Wan could see was a bright flash of fire as the Arbiter flew on over his supine form.

What he heard next was a cry of "Get off of me, you Heretic!" and then came the sound of someone getting grabbed and thrown. And then came the sound of someone crashing into a wall or something to that effect, and then, came a sound that Obi-Wan was glad to hear any day; _snap-hiss_.

Getting up, and turning his head, he saw Jedi Knight, and Mandalorian, Ahsoka Tano standing in an attack-pose, holding her double-bladed lightsaber like a spear, while the Arbiter was slowly getting back on his feet. The Arbiter growled as he saw who it was that denied him of his kill. "Jeedii!" he growled.

Ahsoka's face was hidden underneath her gold-colored helmet, but Obi-Wan could tell she was amused by the Arbiter's use of that word: "A Jedi, I am. And a Mandalorian, I am. Remember, _k__e nu'jurkadir sha Mando'ade!" _She did not move from her position.

The Arbiter only laughed his scorn as he viewed the slight, almost frail form of the warrior before him. "This is almost an outrage," he said, not bothering to disguise his amusement "a tiny, little rat has dared to challenge an Arbiter?" He could not have known that this was the same Mandalorian who had invaded the Prophet of Truth's chamber, since all Mandalorians looked alike to the non-humanoid Covenant soldiers. but if it was not for the distinctive double-bladed saber, he would have never known that it was her. But, unfortunately for Ahsoka, he recognized her thanks to the blade.

She had discarded most of her armor, leaving only the basic armor plating and helmet on, and so for a moment, the Arbiter was confused but he quickly overcame his shock. "You must be the very same Heretic who dared to attack the Most Holy Prophet of Truth! It will be a double honor if I kill both you and Obi-Wan Kenobi!" he said, re-activating his sword. "I will enjoy dismembering you, especially you, for denying my rightful – "

In the middle of his 'speech,' Ahsoka suddenly whirled into attack, forcing the Arbiter to break off at the last second to deflect the strike with his sword. A moment later, Obi-Wan joined in the fight, having taken the time to quickly locate his lightsaber, and now the Arbiter faced not one, but two enemies, one of which was fresh.

But the Arbiter was not unprepared. He had quickly singled out young Ahsoka as the weaker of the two, and kept breaking off his attacks with Obi-Wan to duel her. And that was proving very easy to do, as with each blow, he would send the aged Jedi Master headlong to the ground. Each time, he could've killed him then and there, but Ahsoka kept all of his attention focused on her. Whirling the lightsaber around with lightning speed, she forced him to activate his second energy sword to avoid getting his arms and legs cut off at the joint.

Soon, it was he and Ahsoka dueling alone, as Obi-Wan had been incapacitated when he twisted his leg in another attempt to engage the Arbiter, and that left Ahsoka partner-less. But she did not care, for as long as the Arbiter did not kill the only remaining link to her dead master, she could fight an entire army of Covenant troopers and win. And speaking of her dead master, this was also the perfect time to take another small portion of revenge against the Covenant. But, the Arbiter had his strengths and two of those strengths were endurance and patience. Both of which especially, since he had spent the best of three years, ever since getting his promotion to 'Arbiter', in hunting down the ever elusive Mandalorians, and getting thwarted nearly every time.

However, he was at a disadvantage; Ahsoka was younger, and smaller, and far quicker than he could be, even in his prime. But that was the advantage that humanoids had over Sangheili, they were simply to adaptive. But his size and unnatural speed in keeping his bearings while fighting the young Jedi prevented him from becoming too outmatched.

Lightsaber and energy sword rose and fell, clashing and locking, disengaging and riposting, the never-ending rhythm which the two fighters, both experienced in combat, had developed. One could almost speculate that if the Covenant had never attacked the Republic, these two might've become sparing partners, or even shield-comrades out on the battle-field. But looks were deceiving as both tried their utmost best to kill one another.

He suddenly lunged at the Mandalorian, having grown tired of the duel, and Ahsoka, caught by surprise, only just got her blade up in time to knock aside the strike that would've impaled her. She quickly reacted by twirling her saber on the same stroke, forcing his sword down while the other end of her blade caught him in the chest, draining the shielding there to nil, and scoring a mark on the armor, but for some strange reason, did not cut through.

Snarling, the Arbiter slashed out at her with his second blade but missed at the last crucial moment when she pulled out of the way. As a result, only her jetpack had caught the burning plasma blade. She quickly de-activated the magnetic clamps holding the pack on, letting it drop to the ground. But before it could do that, she grabbed it with the Force, that Heretic power that the Covenant was curiously lacking in, and threw it at him. She leapt back just as the pack exploded in his face, sending him reeling back in pain and anger.

As he staggered back, she turned and ran to where Obi-Wan lay, and knelt down beside him. "Master, let's go!" she said, helping him to his feet. "Is your pack working?" she asked him, but her hopes sank when he shook his head.

"It was destroyed when we crashed," he said regretfully, then asked "Can you raise Bonteri on the comm-link?"

She nodded, and immediately took her arm from his shoulder, and began pressing buttons on her comm-link. "Lux! Lux! Can you read me? This is Ahsoka Tano, Master Kenobi and I need immediate extraction on subsurface-level nine!" Three times she repeated the transmission, and then cut the link. Turning to Obi-Wan, she said, "He'll be here."

Obi-Wan nodded, but then shouted, "Look out!"

While Ahsoka had been tending to Obi-Wan, the Arbiter was slowly recovering from the jetpack that she had thrown in his face. His armor was now scorched black, and the front-side shielding was down to critical levels, but he did not care. He was incensed at the ease of which the Jeedii had shown in humiliating him. While she had been making the transmissions, he had slowly been sneaking up upon them using the stealth-abilities built into all Arbiter armor, which thankfully had not been damaged that much by the explosion. Curiously enough the Jeedii did not sense him. It was a mark of how exhausted they were, for the younger Jeedii had spent the entire night awake, while the older one too had spent nearly the same amount in watching for the assassins' return.

When he was close enough to them, he suddenly deactivated his stealth-cloak, and grabbed the younger Jeedii by the neck. Lifting her up, he turned and threw her into a distant wall. Obi-Wan, too stunned to move, was knocked off his feet by her flying legs. He now lay unconscious while the Arbiter stalked over to where Ahsoka had landed. Ignoring the fallen Obi-Wan, he reached her, and leaned over towards her. Picking her up, he brought her right up to his face. Her helmet had fallen off when she had been thrown, revealing her togrutian features, scared by battle, and showing for the first time that his assailant was a female.

"You have brought me a lot of hardship, Jeedii, and for that, I will make you suffer." And then he whirled around, and slammed her into the ground. Kicking her over, her face bruised and bloodied by the impact, he reached down and picked her up again, "And I have the most suitable punishment for you!" he threw her again but to the left. She landed in a heap on the ground, too stunned to make any sound. Stalking towards her, he spoke again to her semi-conscious form, "I will begin by crushing that lightsaber you carry about, and then I will crush the hands that wielded them, and then the arms that manipulated them." Stopping over her prone form, he looked down with no pity in his cold eyes, "and then, comes your death."

Activating his energy sword, both of which had been deactivated by the blast, he held it over her unknowing form. "Prepare to suffer – " he began, but stopped as a flash of light and a thunderous sound erupted behind him. With a soundless gasp, he fell down, a smoking hole in his back. Holding the blaster equivalent of a shotgun, was Lux Bonteri. Touching down behind him were four more Mandalorians, Bo-Katan among them. While they went to secure the area, and retrieve the unconscious form of Kenobi, Lux quickly ran over to where Ahsoka lay, storing his blaster on his back as he went. Reaching her, he knelt down and turned her over, and held her gently in his arms.

"_Cyar'ika, Cyar'ika! _Ahsoka, Ahsoka! Wake up!" Hearing no response, he feared the worst, but firmly denied it entrance to his mind. Setting it aside, he picked her up and stood. Turning, he walked back to where the others waited.

Bo-Katan looked at him, nodded, and then she and the others, two of which supported Obi-Wan, lifted off in the brightening daylight.

Seeing a glimmer of light in the corner of his vision, he looked over, and low there was her helmet, dented slightly from the battle. He walked on over to it and carefully, as to not disturb her, he leaned down and picked it up. Then, laden with her and the helmet, he lifted off, following the retreating forms of the other Mandalorians.

A small craft hovered, waiting for them, hidden from the Covenant as the daily traffic of Coruscant began to fill the skies. The six Mandalorians flew into it, and then it lifted off. Angling towards the sky, it blasted off, heading for space.

* * *

Hours later, as the skies of Coruscant darkened once more, a Kig-Yar, twelve Unggoy, and thirty COMPOR troopers located the missing Arbiter. One of them knelt over the blackened form. Signaling the others, it and the rest lifted him onto a stretcher and walked over to a waiting Shadow. They got in, and with a rumble, it lifted off, followed by two more. Together, the three of them blasted off into the sky, on their way back the Light of Heaven.

* * *

**A/N: Well, well, well! How's that for a duel? Please let me know what you thought, as I think myself inept at creating lightsaber duels. And also, I put in a little back-history for you to digest. Soon, you will know when, and where the Covenant came into the Galaxy. Until next time. Enjoy.**

* * *

Legend: **BTF/ATF**_ (Before/After The Fall)_


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: If there is any discrepancy in here, please let me know, since my knowledge of the Covenant comes only from the wikia and not from first-hand experience. Thanks. :)**

* * *

Lux Bonteri paced back and forth in the darkened room. The fight with the Covenant had depleted his energy severely; and he had used the last of his strength in carrying Ahsoka back to safety on a waiting freighter with Bo-Katan and a few others. Their primary goal was to rescue Master Kenobi, but it had turned into getting both him and Ahsoka out of there before the Covenant could locate them.

Obi-Wan had suffered nothing worse than several bruises that would've killed a lesser man (and he was getting old) and a cracked rib. Within a few hours in a bacta tank, Kenobi was rejuvenated back to full health, but needed some hours of rest to restore his energy from the fight with the Arbiter. Ahsoka, however, had suffered many broken ribs (from when the Arbiter had thrown her about), severe bruising far worse than Obi-Wan's, and a concussion to boot. Without her armor to cushion most of the impact she would have died from the abuse. He himself had seen the tail end of her duel with the Sangheili; had seen her thrown into a wall with enough force to knock her teeth out, and he had grabbed the first weapon he had carried with him and used it upon the Arbiter. He would've stayed to make sure he had killed the wretched animal, but Ahsoka's condition had prevented that.

Ahsoka was inside the other bacta tank onboard the freighter (there was a total of two aboard, thanks to the black market and to Kal Skirata's three-trillion credit fortune), clad in a white gown that soaked in bacta to aid the healing, and with a breather-mask on, healing.

After leaving Coruscant, the freighter had jumped into hyperspace, en-route to one of the Mandalorian worlds that was outside of the Covenant sphere of influence. The strangeness of the Covenant invasion of Mandalore was that once they had 'destroyed' it, they had not bothered to search for other 'homeworlds' of the Mandalorian people, at least until the guerrilla warfare began; and they did not even think to look outside their own territory!

The Covenant might reign supreme inside the former territory of the Republic and the CIS, but outside of the Core and the Inner Rim, there were the Hutts to deal with. And the numerous criminal organizations that frequented the Galaxy. Many of these organizations were based on Coruscant, such as the Black Sun, and they together had enough man and fire-power to force the Covenant to do whatever they wanted.

The only reason why the Covenant had been able to topple the two most powerful nations in the Galaxy was a surprise attack on Coruscant right when nobody expected them. After all, the Covenant had been an unknown entity before the Battle of Coruscant. No one in living memory had met this unknown nation that just seemingly appeared one day out of the Unknown Regions. And no one bothered to find out where it came from, since roughly three-fourths of the Galaxy was under their control; only the Hutt Clans and the myriad criminal organizations escaped their control. If only they had the time, the Covenant could wipe out the Hutt Clans and their allies, but internal unrest from the conquered Republic and CIS and rebellion from the nomadic Mandalorian people kept their attentions confined to within their own borders; their resources stretched thin to nearly the breaking point. It would have been perfect for the Hutts and their allies to knock them out of power, but bribes of immense proportions kept them sated, for now. It was only a matter of time before the balance of power shifted one way or the other.

With their base on Coruscant destroyed, the Mandalorian resistance was now on their way to an Outer Rim Territory system, known as the Ordo System. Even though it was in the Mandalorian sphere of influence (Indeed, it was within the Sector of Mandalore itself), few Mandalorians had settled upon it. The Covenant had made a grave mistake when they invaded Mandalore and destroyed it, for they thought they had destroyed the center of the Mandalorian people. But from wherever they came from, a race, or rather culture, was not restricted to just one world, nor to a group of worlds that were as divided among themselves as the stars were in the Galaxy, nor even to a quadrant, for, after Covenant had destroyed Mandalore, they left, leaving the remnants to gather and fight back. And with the Hutt Clans closing off all access to the Mandalorian Sector soon after the Bombardment, there was no chance of coming back to complete the job, not unless the Covenant wanted a full-scale war on their hands. And that was something they could not afford for, for all of their outward strength, they were quite weak.

But Galactic politics was not on Lux Bonteri's mind as he paced back and forth in the dark medical ward; all of his thoughts were on the fragile and lithe figure suspended in bacta. Though he would never admit it, he still felt that she was not as strong as she tried to be. And he never called her 'delicate' (in Mandalorian, _laandur_) because to a woman of Mandalore, that would be a grievous insult; to those of Mandalore, beauty was not physical beauty or grace, but that of strength and endurance. That was what Ahsoka tried to live up to, and failed.

After she had joined, she had made it clear to all that she was not one to be trifled with lightly, and he had reinforced that image, though subtly. The only ones who could force her into remembering her place with the Mandalorian Clans (aside from himself) were Master Kenobi and _Mand'alor _Kal Skirata. Master Kenobi was to her what a Jedi Master would be to Padawan. Even though she had well earned the rank of Jedi Knight had she not left the Order, he still made her feel like she was a simple Padawan, while Skirata was more imposing. If it were not for his benevolence, and Lux's insistence, Ahsoka would have been an outcaste – a lone Heretic, hunted by the Covenant, and soon captured and killed; un-mourned and forgotten by the rest of the Galaxy.

There were times like this when Lux suddenly remembered who she really was underneath the Jedi/Mandalorian getup; a lost and frightened woman who had been forced to grow up too quickly by the Jedi, the Clone Wars, and the Covenant. She had been too young to remember her real parents, but her adopted parents she remembered all too well. The Covenant had taken both Plo-Koon and Anakin away from her, and here she was, fighting to survive in a culture that was alien to her own. For all that she showed of being a true Mandalorian, she was, at heart, an alien to the core, never truly fitting in.

_If only the Covenant had not invaded, what would have life been for her? _He thought to himself. Indeed, even had the Covenant had not invaded, her life would've still been thrown into chaos, for Kal and his own Clan had discovered that the Chancellor was a Sith Lord in disguise, the feared enemy of the Jedi Order. And she would have been hunted down just as mercilessly like the rest of the Order when he decided to show his true colors.

_Even had the impossible had happened, and the Chancellor was a kindly old man and not a Dark Lord, and she had not left the Order, and the Covenant had never invaded, what would her life had been? _He could not imagine what life would have become for her had all three impossible things had happened. If only there was such a thing as a time-machine, like in the holo-novels that the adolescents of the galaxy read, he could try to go back and change it for her. But sadly it was just not possible, nor as simple. The Covenant must to have been planning this invasion for years, just like the Chancellor had been orchestrating the entire Clone Wars for an unknown goal. It was just not that simple to change the past that quickly.

But what's done is done; life must go on.

"Sir, the healing will not finish for another few hours. I suggest you go get some rest."

Lux's head snapped around to face the corner, where the unnoticed medical droid stood, monitoring the bacta tank. He had forgotten that there was anyone else in this room other than him and Ahsoka. "Uh, no thanks." He replied, trying to stifle a yawn as he spoke. How long had it been since he had taken a nap? Since yesterday? Or last week?

"Lux Bonteri, as the doctor for the _Mandalore's Vengeance_, I order you to go get some sleep. You have been running, flying, and walking around since yesterday. You are only an organic, and therefore you do need rest. The female will not go anywhere while you are away." The doctor replied in the emotionless tones of a droid, still working away at the computer. "As you can see here, her vital signs have stabilized and are climbing back to normal levels. Which the same could not be said for you if you do not get some rest."

"I am not tired!" Lux shot back, temper beginning to flare. "I am a Mandalorian and Mandalorians never – "

"And another sign that you are tired is that you are irritable, liable to lash out at the nearest person for the least provocation, as you, sir, have just done. All beings, even us droids on occasion, must power down to avoid shutting down at a critical moment. If you do not get the proper nine hours of sleep that is required of a normal human male, you'll begin to suffer the following effects: aching muscles, confusion, memory lapses or loss, depression, hallucinations, hand tremors, headaches – "

"Fine, fine, I give up. I will go get some blasted sleep if that will please you." Lux said, holding up his hand to cut off the droid's medical knowledge. As if on cue, his hand shivered when he held it up. _Damn, the blasted droid is right._ He thought irritably as he exited the medical room. He turned and began walking for the crew-quarters.

The lights were dim to both conserve power and to simulate nighttime on-board the ship. Most of the Mandalorians had been up all night, both the away team sent to assassinate the Prophet, and those back at base awaiting for their return, and possibly to evacuate them if necessary. And the constant fighting had sapped their strength to the breaking point, from the battle at the Light of Heaven to the fight at their base. As a result, nearly every Mandalorian was tired to the point of dropping where they stood and the moment the freighter had jumped into hyperspace, they had fallen gratefully into bunks and most had fallen asleep immediately.

Some, like Lux, had stayed awake despite their body's need for sleep. Those who had stayed awake had duties that cannot be ignored like Kal, whose duties as the leader of the Clans kept him out of bed. Others, like Lux, had stayed awake because they worried over something, in his case, over Ahsoka.

He could not understand what was it exactly that drew him towards her, or rather, aroused his protective instincts to protect her from harm. Or when he began to feel these instincts towards her. Maybe it was when Senator Amidala came to visit his mother, Mina Bonteri.

He had been a proper young man then, the son of a senator, not a warrior. He had first met her when he was about to relive her of her baggage when she simply brushed him off and continued on. He did not know at the time she was a Jedi, or even her name, but later on did he find out after he spied her in the garden of his mother's estate, and had gone out to talk with her. Much to his astonishment, and hers, they found they had many things in common, not the least of which that both had an open mind. After a time of conversing, in which both of them had realized that their initial views on opposing sides were wrong (his being the Jedi and hers the ordinary Separatist), they parted ways.

Throughout the rest of the Clone Wars, their paths had crossed many times; on Mandalore, on Carlac and then during the conflict on Onderon. Then they parted, never to meet again until the Fall of Coruscant.

The hiss of a door opening interrupted his thoughts as he walked into the crew-quarters. All around, slumbering forms occupied bunks, all asleep; the fight had drained most of them to the point where nothing short of an attack would cause them to wake. Besides, there was nothing the Covenant could do while the ship was in hyperspace. Unless they knew exactly where they were going, or had an _Interdictor_-class Star Destroyer half-way in their flight-path with gravitational-fields up, there was nothing they could do to stop them. Lux pulled his mind out of recollection and into the present as he sat down on an unoccupied bunk and made himself ready for sleep.

"How is Ahsoka, young Bonteri?"

The smooth voice had lost none of its vigor as Obi-Wan swung himself out of a nearby bunk and onto the floor. His armor was gone, and replaced by the normal combat uniform worn by Mandalorians not on duty, and with his upper half covered in bandages. The bacta had done its work; all the bandages were there for was to prevent injury to the healing flesh.

"Still unconscious, Master Jedi – " Lux began but was waved of by Kenobi.

"Remember, I am no longer a Jedi, but a Mandalorian, _vod_." He admonished gently.

"I sometimes forget that Mast – err,_ vod_." Lux corrected himself. _Vod _literally meant Brother, or more simply, comrade. It was what all Mandalorians referred to one another, no matter the gender. "Ahsoka is still unconscious, Kenobi. The Arbiter has dealt her a harsher punishment than he has to you." He continued.

Kenobi closed his eyes in pain, not because he was hurting physically, but mentally. "Would I have taken the punishment for her instead. She is too young for such an ordeal, and yet constantly she has shown herself worthy of the burden." Kenobi replied, "I should have been left behind – in coming back for an aged Heretic, you have exposed yourselves to the Covenant; you could have been found."

Lux smiled, though it was a little strained, "We'll never leave a brother or sister behind, especially since every one of us is an outcaste, no matter how old they are. I would have gone alone with Katan to retrieve you but – " He left it trailing in midsentence.

"And yet you would not have bested the Arbiter had Ahsoka not softened him for you to finish him." Kenobi finished it for him. "She is determined to live up to her adopted culture."

"And sometime I wonder if the strain will kill her. She was never meant to be a warrior; no one ever is."

"Indeed, that is true. Anakin himself was not meant to be the Chosen One no matter what the Council or my old master, Qui-Gon thought or said – indeed, I wonder what his real destiny was now that he is dead." Obi-Wan chuckled wearily, "In fact, I am not sure if he _was _the Chosen One, for such a powerful Force-user should not have been killed by a mere alien."

At that Lux laughed aloud, real amusement for once, "You keep forgetting, Master, that the Jedi are not everything. Look at us Mandalorians, we have proved that time and time again, and will continue to do so long after the Covenant have faded into the dusts of time."

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment, contemplating, then he replied, "Yes, you are right. The Mandalorians have taught us that not all things are what they seem. Even after all this time, the Jedi still have not grasped the truth of things; that we are as mortal as anyone else. Still, the Code has prepared us for that, or at least, its earlier versions." He sighed, "But there is no way of knowing, as the Temple is now home to the aliens – or what used to be the Temple."

Obi-Wan was silent, allowing Lux to lean back into his bunk and close his eyes for a moment, waiting for sleep to overtake him. But before it did steal over him, Obi-Wan spoke again, breaking the silence.

"Young man, I am puzzled by something, ever since The Fall. When did you become a Mandalorian? From what I remember, you were a pacifist, like your mother, and a Senator for Onderon, not a warrior. What caused you to join the Mandalorian way of life?"

Lux did not immediately speak up, so Obi-Wan left him to gather his thoughts. Then finally, he replied to Obi-Wan's question: "Well, Master," He had already forgotten (again) that Obi-Wan was no longer a Jedi, "I do not know why myself, but I think it was because they, the culture, appealed to me. They had been persecuted for years by both the Republic and the myriad Sith Empires of the galaxy, and yet they stayed the same. Both the Jedi and the Sith hunted them to nearly extinction, though the former did the most of it while the latter did only sparingly, and yet they remained unchanged. Their language, their identity, their way of life, everything stayed the same, despite having no true homeworld to abide in. It felt like I had some sort of kinship with them, for I was once Republic, then Separatist, then Republic again. I did not truly belong to either side, and once the Covenant began to make their presence known in the Outer Rim, I resigned my position and went to join Mandalore."

"And now you find yourself at home with equals who are as homeless as yourself?" asked Obi-Wan.

Lux nodded, eyes misting over in recollection, "Yes. I felt like I had something in common with them. They, persecuted and hunted, and yet have a kind of dignity about them that makes them who they are – who _we _are, for you and I are in the same ship now with the Covenant against us. It is the same all over again, only instead of the Sith and the Jedi, it is the Covenant. No matter the danger, no matter the enemy, we will persevere." The last ended on a much stronger note than when he had started, a kind of finality that no matter the outcome, what he had said would be true. And, in a way, he was right. The Mandalorian people had flexibility, unlike either the Jedi or the Sith and that allowed them to adapt to anything while the former two stagnated, and eventually died.

"The Twi'leks of Ryloth have a saying, and it is applicable in this situation we have found ourselves in. It goes as follows: 'You cannot fight a heat storm, but you can endure it, no matter how long or hard it may be'." Obi-Wan said, standing up and began to walk despite the doc's orders to stay abed.

Lux nodded, "Yes. That is the way of Mandalore. The Jedi rise and fall; the Sith ascend, and decline; but Mandalore will always remain."

He propped himself up on his side to face the aged Jedi who was facing the wall which was as spartan and bare as the nomadic Mandalorian people were. Obi-Wan turned and walked back over to his bunk. "It is time we got some rest, before the doc sees us awake and talking when we should be in bed." Kenobi said as he settled himself down.

Lux nodded in agreement; he was starting to feel lightheaded with loss of energy. Just before he laid his head down, something suddenly caused him to negate that. "Kenobi, what should we do with Ahsoka. She is impulsive and reckless. We must do something before she gets herself killed!"

From over on his side of the room, Kenobi chuckled, "In that case, you'll need to blame that on Anakin. He has trained her well, too well for my liking."

"But she will get herself killed!"

"Then you will have to watch her back then. Good night, _vod_."

Lux lay in the darkness thinking over what Kenobi had said, then, almost before he could stop himself, fell into blissful sleep.

* * *

"Explain yourself: Why is it that you have let the Heretics escape the arm of justice?" The cold, forbidding voice of the Prophet of Regret bore down upon the suddenly small Arbiter. The Arbiter stood in a room, deep within the Imperial Palace, surrounded by the full High Council, both the High Prophets, Councilors, and the Legates.

In total there were nearly two-hundred within this room. Crowning the top of the High Council Hierarchy were the three High Prophets, or sometimes known as Hierarchs. Making up the Council were both San' Shyuum and Sangheili; Prophet and Sangheili Councilors respectively. This represented the complete government of the Covenant, or rather, the religious government. The Senate of the former Republic took care of day-to-day things, while they focused on other things.

Such as disciplining an arbiter who had failed a most important, most holy mission that they had set before him.

"I beg the Most Holy Prophets' forgiveness; but I was thwarted by the Heretics cunning, and their skills. We have killed a goodly portion of them, even nearly managed to bring down a Jeedii, but they were too cunning for us." The Arbiter replied, head bowed and hands clasped behind his back; a gesture of submission.

"Nevertheless, you have failed. You have failed in securing the co-ordinates for their bases of resistance, and you have failed in wiping out the Jedi Heretics that still remained." Unlike the Sangheili, and most of the Covenant, the Prophet San 'Shyuum had no trouble in pronouncing the word. "Normally, we would punish you severely for your failure, but this time, we will be lenient."

Amazingly, the Arbiter had survived Bonteri's close-ranged shot-gun blast; and that was because his armor was made of the same metal that the Mandalorian armor was made, _beskar_, or otherwise known in Galactic Basic as Mandalorian iron. Of course it was not known to the Covenant as 'mandalorian iron' (for that was a Heretic name), but rather by a different name in one of the many native tongues that made up the Covenant language. In Galactic Basic, it translated to simply mithril(1), or the next thing to it since the actual word was unpronounceable by most humanoids of the galaxy.

"I will accept any punishment that the Prophets deem worthy to correct my transgressions."

"We will not take your rank or your command from you, Xytan 'Umamee," That was the High Prophet of Mercy, "We will allow you to continue your original task that had been set before you,"

"The Prophets are most gracious – "

"However, to ensure you do not fail again, you will have an Inquisitor with you."

Arbiter Xytan was stunned speechless. "Most Holy Prophets?" Ever since the Great Migration out of the Blessed Home(2) of nearly a hundred years back, a special caste of the Covenant millitary had been formed, known as the Inquisition. They were made up of the most fearless warriors within the Covenant, from Sangheili down on to Unggoy. They job was to ensure that no one, not even the High Prophets themselves, would ever fall to that of the Separatists that had resulted from the Great Schism. During the Great Migration, the false High Prophet of Truth had been replaced by the forerunners of the Inquisition and the stability of the Covenant had been reestablished. In gratitude, the races of the Covenant, including the new High Prophet of Truth, lauded the Saviors for restoring the Covenant back to its rightful place, and had made them into the organization that would become to Inquisition.

During the Time of Planning, the Inquisition had successfully integrated themselves into both the Republic and CIS governments and had caused their downfall from within, cumulating into the Fall of Coruscant. Not even the Heretical Chancellor, with his arcane abilities, had been able to stop them, though he managed to slow them down in order to escape. And even now, during the Heretical Uprising, they proved their usefulness time and time again, to the point where some thought it amazing that the Covenant had lasted for this long without them.

"An Inquisitor, Hierarch?"

"Yes, an Inquisitor. He will ensure that you do not fail us again. If necessary, he will take over from you, should you prove unfit."

Arbiter Xytan bowed his head, "I accept the will of the Prophets. When will the Inquisitor take charge?"

"Right now."

That did not come from any of the High Council, but from a shadowy figure that Xytan did not see until now, half-hidden in the shadows of Truth's throne. He stepped forward, lowering his hood as he went, and stood in the light. He was clothed in a black robe that was half-cloth half armor. His features were that of a typical humanoid, at least to Xytan, but with a few notable differences; Red-colored skin, black tattoos of alien design, small horns crowning his head, a few with the points missing, and with no hair to speak of. He was roughly 1.75 meters in height, weighed approximately 80 kilograms, and carried himself with the air of someone who considered himself in charge. But what was most striking about this unremarkable figure was that an air of menace, albeit very subtle, permeated the air around him. His eyes burned a most unusual color for a humanoid; yellow, a color that was not natural for the humanoids of this galaxy, or even of the Blessed Home.

"I will accompany you on your mission, and see to it that you do not fail the Prophets." The figure spoke, an almost palpable intimidation emanating from him, an intimidation so strong that even Xytan, who was taller and stronger than the average Sangheili and fearless, stepped back from him a pace or two.

"This is the will of the Prophets," spoke Truth for the first time. "Inquisitor Maul will assist you in every way he can, while not interfering with your operations. You will refer to him as a superior, and he, to us."

Xytan bowed his head again, "Yes, Most Holy Prophet." And with that, he turned and left the room. The twin doors opened and he disappeared through them. Jiralhanae and Sangheili guards could be seen lining the hall for a moment before the doors closed. They closed, and the Council room was shrouded once more in semi-darkness.

Inquisitor Maul, formerly known as 'Darth' when they first met, walked to the center of the chamber and repositioned himself so that he looked up at Truth straight in the eye. This was not the first time he had done so, as if it was _he _who was in charge, and it would not be the last. "I will report on Arbiter Xytan's doings while on the hunt, Hierarch Truth."

Truth nodded, concealing an expression of distaste as he did so. Clearly, he and Inquisitor Maul were not on good terms that much, at least not publicly. "Go, and may the Forerunners guide you to victory."

Inquisitor Maul bowed, not deeply as Arbiter Xytan had done, and swiftly turned and walked from the room. The doors opened, and closed behind him, leaving the High Council alone.

"Is it wise to send such being to do our will? Why not one of the other Inquisitors?" that was Mercy once a sufficient amount of time had passed.

"He is dangerous to us, and it is only by his whim that we, the Covenant, survive. He knows the Hutts and the Heretical scum of this galaxy too well, and he can simply order them to depose of us should things not go his way." Replied Truth, "Have patience, my brothers. In time, we will not need to bother with him any longer."

"If it is your will," answered Regret.

One by one, the High Council dispersed, and the room was silent once more.

* * *

Footnotes:

(1) mithril: I borrowed the name from LOTR because I had to have a name to describe a metal that the Covenant had adapted for their use. To do so otherwise would be, 'Heretical' ;)

(2) Blessed Home: I do not know the name the Covenant used to describe the Milky Way galaxy so this was the closest I came to it.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: The dates used here will be ARR (**_**After Ruusan Reformation**_**), since the Battle of Yavin will never happen in this storyline one bit, and my head is a little confused with converting BBY dates into BTF, so it is left out altogether until the Battle of Coruscant. So, enjoy the timeline I've set out before you.**

* * *

(879 ARR: and 2552 AD): The Covenant flees an unknown enemy following the Battle of Installation 00; the UNSC and the Covenant Separatists are left to an unknown fate, with the UNSC supposedly destroyed.

(937 ARR: and 2579 AD): Xytan 'Umam is born: The Inquisition is officially formed.

(940 ARR: and 2582 AD): The Covenant makes its appearance in the Unknown Regions and settles an unknown planet, and settles down to plan for their reemergence as a Galactic Power; The Mandalorian Civil War begins, with only vague rumors reaching the isolated Covenant.

(946 ARR: and 2588 AD): Darth Maul is born on Iridonia: Obi-Wan Kenobi is found to be strong in the Force.

(956 ARR: and 2598 AD): The Mandalorian Civil War ends: Obi-Wan Kenobi is chosen as Padawan by Qui-Gon Jinn: and the Stark Hyperspace War begins and ends: The Covenant has begun to place infiltrators inside the Galactic Republic.

(959 ARR: and 2601 AD): Anakin Skywalker, the Chosen One, is born on an unknown world.

(961 ARR: and 2603 AD): Anakin Skywalker and his mother come to Tatooine after being purchased by Gardulla the Hutt: the Covenant begins to establish a small empire in the Unknown Regions, clashing with the Hutt Clans for the first time, and losing. Xytan 'Umam joins the Covenant millitary, adding the suffix 'ee' to the end of his family name, as customary for the Sangheili warriors.

(962 ARR: and 2604 AD): Finis Valorum is elected Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic: The Covenant pulls back from the Hutt Clans and retreats deeper into the Unknown Regions, breaking off contact from the rest of the galaxy: The Covenant operatives continue their work in undermining the Republic but find themselves hampered by the Jedi Order.

(964 ARR: and 2606 AD): Finis Valorum is re-elected Supreme Chancellor and also forms a friendship with Senator Palpatine afterwards.

(965 ARR: and 2607 AD): Ahsoka Tano is born on Shili. (Approximate date)

(966 ARR: and 2608 AD): The Mandalorians are destroyed by a Jedi Task force led by Count Dooku in the Battle of Galidraan.

(968 ARR: and 2610 AD): The Invasion of Naboo begins, and the seeds of the Clone Wars are sown: The Covenant clashes with what they believe to be a scout from the Blessed Home and are put on their guard.

(978 ARR: and 2620 AD): The Clone Wars begins: The Covenant, having found no sign of the Angels, return to their original plan and begin to step up millitary rebuilding: Xytan 'Umamee, having been promoted to Arbiter, is tasked with the coming invasion of Coruscant.

(981 ARR: 0 ATF (After the Fall): and 2623 AD): The Battle of Coruscant is halted just before Masters, Skywalker and Kenobi could rescue the Chancellor by the Covenant: The Jedi Order is wiped out, along with the Galactic Republic and the CIS: The Covenant Era begins.

(3 ATF: and 2626 AD) :Mandalore is bombarded by the Covenant: Darth Maul having vanished four years prior to the bombardment after the Death Watch forced him out of Mandalore.

(5 ATF: and 2628 AD): The Covenant intercepts a strange organic vessel in the Outer Rim, believed to be another scout of the Angels. It is subsequently destroyed.

(7 ATF: and 2630 AD): The Mandalorian Base on Coruscant is found out and destroyed, but with the majority of the Infidels escaping Coruscant and bound for places unknown: Xytan 'Umamee is assigned with Inquisitor Maul to hunt them down and destroy them.

**End of Recorded History.**


End file.
